Haul-up-chain unloader for sawmills.



No. 690,677. vPatented Jan. 7, I902. E. E. THOMAS.

HAUL-UP CHAIN UNLOADER FOR SAWMILLS.

(Application filed. Sept. 26, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet'l.

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Patented Jan. 7, I902.

E. E. THOMAS. HAUL-UP GHAIN'U'NLOADER FOR SAWMILLS.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE",

EDWIN E. THOMAS, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGN OR OF ONE-HALF TO UNION IRON WORKS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

HAUL -UP-CHAIN- UNLOADER FOR SAWMILLS.

SPECIFICATION-formingpart of Letters Patent No. 690,677, dated January 7, 1902.

Application filed September 26, 1901. Serial No. 7 6,607. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, EDWIN E. THOMAS, ofSt. Paul, Ramsey county, Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Haul-Up-Ohain Unloaders for Sawmills, of

arms back after unloading the preceding log.

It has also been impossibleto secure the arms on their support so that they will not work loose in ashort time. This bending or breaking of the arms and the working loose thereof requires prompt attention of the repairer and. causes delay in the operation of the mill. The object, therefore, of my invention is to 'provide a chain unloader which cannot be bent or broken by an incoming log and which has no fastening devices or parts that can work loose and prevent the elfective operation of the unloader. V v

The invention consists generally in providing an unloading device having an inclined face or surface. Further, the invention consists in improved means for supporting and operating the unloading device.

Further, the invention consists in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is an end View of a log-deck and chainway having my improved 'unloader connected therewith. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a section on the line AB of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on the line E F of Fig. 2. 5 is a section on the line G H of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a section on the line C D of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, 2 represents a double logdeck supported upon a suitable framework of timbers 3 and provided with chainway tim this application.

bers 4, running transversely with respect to said decks, between which timbers is a haulup chain 5. I have shown a double log-deck adapted for use with two mills and a common haul-up chain arranged between theheads of the two decks. I have shown the unloading device connected with the chainway-timber on one side for rolling the logs onto one deck; but as this mechanism will be substantially duplicated for the opposite timber to rollthe logs onto the other deck I have not thought it necessary to shower describe the same in I The timber 4on one side of the chainway is provided with transverselyarranged inclined slots or mortises 6, within which I provide cast-metal housings 7, provided in their endswith holes 8 to receive pins 9. Within these housings Iprovide unloader-arms 10, that are of cast metal, preferably in the form of channel-bars and pivoted at corresponding ends on pins 11, provided near the outer ends of said housings. These unloader-bars when in an inoperative position will'lie within the housings, leaving the chainway free and clear, and are swung on their pivots across the chainway into the path of the logs brought up by the chain. Beneath the log-deck and chainway-timber is a timber 12, whereon brackets 13 are secured, to which bell-cranks 14 are pivoted. Each unloader-bar is provided in its free end with a mortise 15 to receive a tenon 16, provided on the end of longitudinally-reciprocating bars 17, said tenon being secured by means of the pivot-pin 18. The opposite end of each bar 17 is provided with a slot or mortise 19, wherein one arm of the adjacent bellcrank is-pivoted on aremovable pin 20; This method of connecting the unloader-arms and their operating mechanism insures durability and uniformity of movement and prevents twisting or wabbling of the arms during their reciprocation. The remaining arms of the bell-cranks are pivotally connected by a rod 21, and as said cranks are oscillated horizontally the unloader-arms will be reciprocated simultaneously to unload the logs. The unloader-arms, being pivoted near their outer ends and swung on said pivots over the haul-up chain at an angle thereto, will I00 directly to said cranks.

present inclined faces to the end of the first succeeding log brought up by the chain, and hence will not be broken by contact therewith. To operate the bell-cranks, I provide a steam-cylinder 22, suitably mounted on a timber 23 and having a piston connectingrod 24:, connected with the arm of one of the bell-cranks. A valve 25 controls the admission of steam to the cylinder, and by means of a suitable lever mechanism (not shown) a person standing near the log-deck can control the admission of steam to the cylinder and the operation of the unloader-arms. By arranging the bell-cranks near the chainway I can dispense with the reciprocating connecting-bars and connect the unloader-arms I prefer, however, to use the construction illustrated in the drawings.

The operation of my improved unloading device is as follows: The log having reached the desired point opposite the log-deck, the operator admits steam to the cylinder to actuate the mechanism and move the unloader into contact with the-log, which will be rolled thereby off the chain onto the deck. It will be noticed on an examination of Fig. 2 that during the operation of unloading a log the unloader-bars present an inclined face to the next incoming log, so thatin case the log should engage the first bar before the operator has time to set the mechanism in motion to withdraw it the log will be directed by the inclined face off the chain onto the log-deck and cause no injury to the unloader. The unloader-bars and their connections, being mortised and pinned together, will require no attention until the pivot-pins are worn and need replacing, and as the pins cannot work loose when the mechanism is in operation there will be little danger of delay or loss of time in the operation of the mill.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with a haul-up chain, of a log-unloader, means for projecting said unloader to roll the log from said chain and said unloader during such projection presenting a face diagonal with respect to said chain and inclined to the end of the next succeeding log.

2. The combination, with a haul-up chain, of log-unloaders pivoted at their ends next to the incoming log and means for projecting the opposite free ends of said unloaders to present inclined faces to the end of said log.

3. The combination, with a haul-up chain, of log-unloaders pivoted near one end and when inoperative substantially parallel with said chain, and means for projecting the free ends of said unloaders across said chain to engage and roll the log therefrom, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a haul-up chain, of a log-unloader, means for projecting said unloader to roll the log from said chain and said unloader during such projection prosenting a face that is inclined horizontally with respect to the end of the next succeeding log.

5. The combination, with a log-deck the haul-up chain and the chainway, of log-unloaders pivoted near their outer ends in said way and substantially parallel with said chain, and means for reciprocating the free ends of said unloaders to project them across said chain to engage and roll the log therefrom and said unloaders during such projection presenting inclined faces to the end of the next succeeding 10g, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination, with a log-deck the haul-up chain and the chainway provided with mortises or slots, of unloader-arms pivoted within said slots, bell-cranks pivoted near said chainway, reciprocating bars connecting said bell-cranks and the free ends of said unloader-arms, and means for simultaneously oscillating said bell-cranks, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a haul-up chain and the chainway-timbers provided with inclined mortises or slots having housings '7, of channel-bar unloader-arms pivoted near their outer ends within said housings and substantially parallel With said chainway when in their inoperative position, longitudinally-reciprocating bars pivoted to the free ends of said unloader-arms, and means for reciprocating said bars to project said arms across said chainway into engagement with the log brought up by said chain, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with a haul-up chain and the chainway-timbers, of the log-unloader bars pivoted near one end in said timbers, and means for projecting the free ends of said bars to engage the logs, and said bars during such projection presenting horizontal inclined faces to the end of the next succeeding log and in the path of the same.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day of September, 1901.

' EDWIN E. THOMAS.

In presence of RICHARD PAUL, M. C. NOONAN. 

